The Grade Race
by Sango-Tajiiya
Summary: When Sango Omou, Sengoku High School's "perfect student", gets topped by a new student named Miroku Houriki, how will she handle it? Especially when she finds herself falling in love with him, her arch rival?
1. Prologue: Numer One No Longer

The Grade Race

Prologue

Sango adjusted her shiny pink rimmed glasses as she intently focused on the paper in front of her. She flipped her pencil up and down between eraser and lead. She was having trouble with this one question on her science test! Sango cursed silently as her glasses slid down her petite nose yet again.

She sighed and poked her paper with the pencil. She decided on an answer she wasn't completely satisfied with, and handed the in the test just as the bell rang. Sango walked out into the hallway where other students were already starting to gather around the results board. She made her way to the front of the crowd where Ms. Kagura was posting the test results. She shot the children an icy, irritable glance, then walked away.

Sango was an overachiever, and she was seemingly perfect at school. But it truth, she was just trying to live up to her parents' expectations. Her little brother, Kohaku, was a super genius, and their parents' favorite. They always looked down on Sango for not being as good as Kohaku. But Sango didn't blame Kohaku for that; she loved him dearly. He was such a sweet boy.

Now, Sango stood before the results board with bated breath, waiting to see her name beside number one. She was the best. She had always been. She grinned widely, but it faltered instantly when she saw her name by not number one, but number two.

She stood there gaping for a moment, and then her eyes narrowed dangerously. Out beside number one, where **her** name should have been. Miroku Houriki was scribbled. Sango didn't recognize that name, and she knew everyone in the school. She had gotten topped… by a new student! Could things get any worse?

Sango would soon fin out the answer to that was yes, when a certain lavender-gray eyed, black haired male sidled up to the results board.


	2. The Rival In Miroku

The Grade Race

Chapter One

Sango ignored the new person beside her, then finally she looked over to him. "Excuse me, would you happen to know the student who ranked number one?" He looked over at her, and then he glanced at the results board. He turned back to Sango and grinned broadly. "That student would be me." Sango's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, and her face flushed.

Miroku grinned at the stunned face of the girl in front of him. He assumed by her reaction and the way she looked that this was the legendary Sango Omou. A large group of girls had gathered to chat in his last period to chat, and he had heard bits of their conversation. He picked up things like, "She's so beautiful! And she's a genius! I wish I could be like her! She's perfect! I'm going to ask Sango-san to help me with my algebra homework!"

That had been the first time he had heard her name. The girls' gossip had intrigued him, and he couldn't wait to find Sango and meet her. Now she was standing before him, all her guards down. The legendary Sango was in shock. _Their comment about her beauty was completely true_, Miroku mused.

Her silky dark brown hair was long, and slightly frazzled looking as it fell over her shoulders. Her plum colored shirt complimented her black jeans, and petite pink glasses framed her face cutely. Her hazel eyes flared with fury and shock. "Glad to have some competition, Sango." Sango ripped off her glasses and squinted at Miroku, her eyes inquiring whether he was really saying that. He simply shrugged and walked off.

Sango's hand flew to her mouth, and she screamed into it, then turned and went to retrieve her backpack.

Kagome jumped up to greet Sango as she grudgingly made her way to their lockers. "Hey, Sango! I've got some great news! You remember my IM pen pal, Inuyasha!" Sango barely acknowledged her best friend as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Yeah? And?" Kagome jumped from one foot to another as the two walked out of the building.

"Well, he moved here last month, and he's invited me over for a study date! He's going to have another guy friend over, so he said I could invite one of my friends! And that friend is you!" Sango grimaced inside. She really didn't want to do schoolwork with any more new people.

But Sango glanced briefly at Kagome, and the corners of her mouth stretched up in a forced smile. "Sure, Kagome. Sounds like fun." Kagome grinned from ear to ear. "Great! So, I'll see you at 5:00 p.m.! We'll go from there!" Sango waved in response and the two girls walked off to their separate cars.

_Yeah, I know; short chapter! Please forgive me! I was originally writing this in a composition notebook before I typed it, and I write kind of big so it looked longer than it was. I promise they will get longer. Oh, by the way, how about pressing that little lavender button down there that says 'go'? You know, just for fun._


	3. My Dear Study Buddy

The Grade Race

Chapter Two

Sango sat in Kagome's car, crossing her right leg over her left leg, then vise-versa. Kagome glanced at her friend and put her hand on Sango's bouncing knee. "Don't be nervous, Sango. Inuyasha's a nice guy, and I'm sure his friend is decent too." Sango nodded, but she wasn't convinced by Kagome's consoling.

Usually, Sango never got nervous at school. She always had a very calm composure. But Kagome was her best friend, and she knew all about Sango's 'perfect student' façade. Kagome's bright green, newly washed Mustang eased into Inuyasha's cramped driveway. The two walked up to the porch, and the door swung open before they could even ring the doorbell.

Standing in the doorway was a tall, well-built male with amber eyes and ebony hair that went to just below his waist. "Hey, Kags. Nice to see you **finally** showed up." Kagome glared briefly at him, then he continued. "Who's your friend?" Kagome introduced the two. "Sango, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Sango."

Sango looked around in disbelief at the… seemingly… empty house. The only things in the house were Kagome, Sango, Inuyasha, and all his junk. As they walked into the living room, Sango inquired, "Where are your parents, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha flinched. "They're, uh… out." Kagome grabbed a long portion of Inuyasha's hair that hung down from his ear and demanded, "Tell her the truth." Inuyasha growled under his breath. "My parents don't live with me… they…" He looked pleadingly at Kagome, but she simply quirked an eyebrow expectantly. "They… they kicked me out."

Sango briefly stared in disbelief, and then she shrugged. "That's fine. We're legal adults, so we can live on our own." Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I don't live completely alone. I have a part-time roomie." Sango looked at Inuyasha interestedly. "Really? Who?" Suddenly… "BOO!" The girls shrieked as someone poked them in that sensitive, ticklish spot in the small of their backs.

Sango spun around to see the offender. Her eyes narrowed in white hot fury when she saw who it was. There was Miroku, standing behind her, beaming. "You!" Miroku suddenly recognized who it was. "Hey! It's number two! How are you doing?" Sango swung he heavy textbook at his head, but he expertly dodged it.

He ignored her and walked to the coffee table. Then he turned to Sango once he was sitting down and began, "Oh, by the way-" WHAM! This time Sango's history textbook made contact with his face.

Sango sat down and smugly stated, "You need to learn how to treat ladies better." Miroku feigned a hurt expression and rubbing his sore nose, he retorted, "Hey! I treat ladies just fine!" Sango rolled her eyes as she cradled her textbook in the crook off her arm. "I'm sure you do." She replied sarcastically.

For the next two hours, the four were studying constantly. Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku kept striking up light conversations, but Sango was vigorously studying non-stop. She rolled her eyes at her friend and acquaintances. Didn't they care about their standardized test they were taking in a week!

Kagome flopped back onto the ground without warning after another fifteen minutes of studying. "I'm starving!" Inuyasha whined. Kagome forced herself up and replied, "Okay. Why don't Sango and I whip up something? Come on Sango." Sango froze as Kagome dragged her off into Inuyasha's messy kitchen. Sango couldn't cook an edible meal if her life depended on it, and she told Kagome that when they were out of earshot of Inuyasha and Miroku.

Kagome patted Sango's shoulder comfortingly. "I know, but don't worry. I'll take care of the whole thing. You can watch me, and get some pointers. This way, we'll eat a good meal, and the boys won't be any the wiser." Sango nodded lightly, and Kagome continued, "Besides, from what Inu's told me, you wouldn't want to be alone with Miroku."

Sango replied sarcastically, "Thanks." Kagome reached for the first ingredient… whip cream. The chaos begins now.


	4. It's Raining Whip Cream

The Grade Race

Chapter Three

Kagome pulled the red and white can of whip cream down from the top of Inuyasha's cabinet. As she heard footsteps in the doorway, Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha. "Oh, Inuyasha. Do you want chocolate or vanilaAAAA-!" She had tripped over a loose floor tile, causing her to fall forward, and her index finger pressed down on the spritzer. The foam shot mercilessly out of the can, all onto Inuyasha's dark black hair. He looked positively ridiculous, and Sango was uncontrollably cracking up. Inuyasha glared daggers at her, but then grabbed Kagome. "You have to help me watch this crap out of my hair!" Kagome whimpered as she followed Inuyasha up the stairs. "It's just whip cream…"

Sango stood staring up at where they walked up the stairs. She heard the running flow of sink water, then Inuyasha yelp in pain. "Hot! HOT!" Kagome shrieked and Sango heard the squeaking of old sink handles turning. "Sorry, sorry!" Then all was quiet. Sango sighed and Miroku walked into the still, empty room. "Hey, what happened?" Sango grumbled something incoherent, and then replied, "Inuyasha's head is covered in whip cream, and Kagome's helping him wash it out." Miroku quirked an eyebrow. "She's washing his hair…?" Then a perverse grin spread across his lips and he turned to the stairs. "Let's go see what's going on…"

Sango tugged on his sleeve sharply, and spun him around to face her. "**We** still have to study." Miroku pouted and said in a pathetic voice, "But I'm hungry!" Sango rolled her eyes, snatched a peach from the cabinet and threw it at him. "There. Gorge. I'm going to study."

After Sango had been quietly studying by herself for a few minutes, Miroku popped back in to the living room, smiling and obviously revitalized by his tiny snack. Sango barely glanced up from her algebra. "What's got you so happy?" Miroku hummed for a moment, then replied mischievously, "Guess what I just saw Kagome and Inuyasha doing?" Suddenly, he had Sango's attention. She put her pencil down and looked up at him. "What?" Miroku looked away and said in a sing-song voice, "I don't know. It might distract you from your studies." Sango jumped up onto the table and held Miroku by the collar of his shirt, and growled, "Tell me… now!"

Miroku beamed and said cheerily, "Okay!" Sango slid off the table to where he was sitting and stared intently at him. "What?" She repeated. Miroku laughed under his breath, and Sango shouted again, "What?" this time her tone sounding more urgent. Without warning, Miroku was rolling around on the floor, holding his sides, laughing his head off. "They… they… one second." Sango complied and waited for Miroku to sit up and catch his breath. He breathed in deeply, and then shot out quickly before he could start laughing again, "Inuyasha asked Kagome for a kiss, but she wouldn't unless he ate a bar of soap! And he actually did!" Sango guffawed. "He actually did just for a kiss? The whole bar?" Miroku nodded and started to laugh again. Sango put her hands on his shoulders to silence him.

"And? Did she kiss him?" Miroku nodded and gave Sango a lopsided grin. "Yep. Pretty long one too." Sango peered at the room upstairs. 'Then why are they still up there?" As if to answer her question, Inuyasha and Kagome exited the bathroom at that moment. Inuyasha's tongue was sticking out, and he had a sickened look on his face. Kagome had her arms wrapped around his, and she said in a sill, sympathetic voice, "Poor baby. Do you need more water?" Inuyasha coughed out bubbles. "No! I need a paramedic!" Just then, Inuyasha and Kagome noticed Sango and Miroku staring at them. Kagome blushed. "Uh… about this…" Sango shook her head. "Don't worry. Miroku here told me everything." Miroku piped up uninvited, "Yeah, I didn't know the two of you were so forward."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha glared dangerously at Miroku, and he shrank down behind Sango. Suddenly, thunder cracked over head and the four looked out the window, noticing just then it was raining outside. Four aggravated moans sounded when the electricity gave out. Kagome clung tighter to Inuyasha as he walked to the hall closet to get a flashlight. Miroku reached his hand out in the dark to see where Sango was. All four flinched when a scream and slapping noise rang out in the blackness. Miroku recognized Sango's familiar voice shout, "You touched my butt, pervert! It's bad enough you stole my spot as number one, but now…! This is just unforgivable!" Sango stood up to find Kagome, but her foot got caught in the legs of the chair, causing it and her to crash over.

She groaned, but was grateful something broke her fall. She poked whatever it was, and it let out a little, "Ow!" Sango gaped. "Miroku!" The two sat up just as Inuyasha and Kagome flicked on the flashlight. The light was beaming right on Miroku and Sango, and it looked pretty confusing, with Sango in his lap, and his arms around her back. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "And you call us forward." Sango and Miroku exchanged embarrassed glances, and Sango bonked him lightly on the head for good measure.


	5. Movies and Twister and an Angry Sango

The Grade Race

Chapter Four

"That should do it!" Kagome stated proudly as she slammed the door to the fusebox. She clapped her hands together, wiping the dust off of them as the lights flickered on. Kagome skipped happily back into the living room where two of her friends were sitting on the couch, already immersed in the TV. "Where's Sango?" Kagome asked the boys with slight worry.

Inuyasha tilted his head to Kagome and stated with the boredom clear in his tone, "She went to call her parents to tell them she might be a little late. You should call your folks too." Kagome scratched her chin in puzzlement. "Hmm? Why?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You're not driving anywhere in this rain." Miroku nodded. "He's right. It's still coming down pretty hard." Kagome shrugged, and then skipped off into the game room where Sango was hanging up the phone.

"Oh, hello Kagome. I didn't notice you standing there." Kagome beamed and walked up to Sango. "Inuyasha's paranoid about me driving while it's raining. You sure you're okay with staying here a little longer?" Sango shrugged. "Well, I did have a history test in two days that I needed to study for, but… I guess it can wait." Kagome grinned, and said mischievously, "Of course it can! Lighten up a little, and let's have some fun! After all, there are no adult here to restrict us." Sango frowned. "What are you implying?" Kagome feigned obliviousness, and replied, "Implying? I haven't the slightest idea what you mean! But seriously, let's go enjoy ourselves."

Sango rolled her eyes and allowed her bubbly friend to lead her down the hall. "Whatever." Sango mumbled to herself.

When they reentered the living room, Inuyasha and Miroku were nowhere to be seen. Kagome pouted. "Where did those to go off to now! I wanted to do something fun!" Sango rolled her eyes and jabbed her thumb in the direction of the closet, "Think maybe that's them over there, Kagome?" Kagome turned to see Inuyasha and Miroku pulling things out of the closet. Kagome laughed. "Oh, guess I didn't!" Kagome walked over to them and grabbed a hold of Inuyasha's collar, then yanked him out of the closet.

"So, what do you wanna do, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha growled. "Damn it, woman! Do you mind! We were looking for something!" Kagome inquired the angered boy, "And what would that be?"

"A movie." Miroku answered as he pulled a DVD from the top shelf of the closet. Despite herself, Sango was interested in their conversation. "What movie is it?" Inuyasha smirked at the raven haired girl still clinging to his collar and replied smugly, "Sin city." Kagome swiftly dropped Inuyasha to the ground and ran behind Sango. "No way, no how, Inuyasha! I am not watching that senseless violent piece of junk! It's terrible!" Inuyasha beamed. "I told you I would make you watch it sooner or later. Today is judgment day Kagome. You can watch Sin city or, we could play 7 Minutes in Heaven instead. Your pick."

Kagome opened her mouth and was about to agree to the latter when Sango piped up, "Let's watch the movie." Kagome frowned up at her best friend and clung to her arm. "But I hate that movie, Sango!" Kagome whispered to Sango. Sango whispered back, her teeth clenched in frustration, "And I hate the thought of being stuck in a dark, cramped, closet with either of these two!" Kagome sighed in exasperation, and then announced to Inuyasha, "Alright, you win. Sin City it is. But you're going to pay for the hospital bill if I suddenly have a heart attack." Inuyasha stood up and dusted himself off. "It's a deal."

As Miroku placed the DVD in the slot, Inuyasha and Kagome took their seats on the large sofa in the center of the room. When Miroku finished, he sat down beside Sango on the slightly smaller couch. As Inuyasha selected the play command on the main menu, Sango said in annoyance to Miroku, "What are you doing?" Miroku looked to Sango with a blank expression plastered on his face. "Sitting. Does this cause you any discomfort, Sango?" Sango twiddled her thumbs. Slightly because of being flustered by their proximity, but mostly because she was annoyed. "Not in particular, but…" She mumbled. "Then there's no problem, is there?" Miroku said nonchalantly as he relaxed on the couch.

Despite what she claimed earlier, Kagome quickly became absorbed with the movie. Although, she was inclined to hid her face in Inuyasha's shoulder. Which she did with much enthusiasm when things got too bloody for her taste. Sango, however, couldn't focus at all on the movie. Her thoughts were occupied elsewhere. Things like, what was the third question for my history test, how many kilometers is there between Tokyo and Hokkaido, ran through her mind. But the more frequent thought that occupied her senses, and the thought that she lingered on most went along the lines of, '_What is this guy's problem? Just waltzing in and thinking he can just take my place? I have to be better for my parents, and no boy is going to ruin things for me! And why is he being so casual about it, like it's no big deal! It **is** a big deal, if you ask me!_'

About ten minutes before the movie came to a close; Miroku leaned over to Sango and whispered, "If I may bring it to your attention, I'd just like you to be aware that you are staring Sango. It doesn't bother me, but, just thought you'd like to know." Sango flushed and whispered with urgency and anger in her voice, "What are you thinking! I wasn't staring at you! The very thought is ridiculous!" Miroku smiled and returned his attention to the flashing pictures. "You can believe that if you'd like Sango."

Sango grimaced and stared at her feet for the last few minutes of the movie. What had she been thinking, getting so caught up like that and letting herself stare at her rival like that! She felt so stupid. Kagome jumped up from the couch as the credits began to slide up the screen. "That was so cool!" Inuyasha grinned. "I told you you would like it."

Kagome nodded cheerily. "I'll never doubt your judgment again, Inuyasha!" Inuyasha rolled his yes. "I doubt that."

Sango steered the conversation in a different direction by pointing out, "The rain's letting up. It's just sprinkling now." Sango wanted to get out of there fast. Miroku was really starting to grate on her nerves. Miroku shook his head and suggested, "Oh, c'mon! Stay just a little longer. I bet if you went home, you would just study for some test, right?" Sango glared at Miroku. "What I do and do not do with my spare time is none of your concern!" Kagome decided to put her two cents in. "He's right, Sango. Let's have a little more fun before you go back to studying." Sango frowned as Kagome walked to the closet and look through the games and DVDs. Today was just not her day. Even her best friend seemed to be plotting against her!

Kagome shouted perkily, "Ooh! This one looks like fun!" Kagome determinedly pulled the white box from its spot under at least five other boxes. Kagome held the box happily in her hands as the boxes on top of the one she held tumbled to the floor. Inuyasha dragged himself to the closet and groaned, "Could you possibly be clumsier?" Kagome glared at Inuyasha and elbowed him in the back. "Hmph! Like I was saying, we should play this!" As she spoke the last word, she proudly revealed the game she had selected. A look of dismay spread across her face as she recognized the bright red words on the top. '_Twister, huh?_' Sango glared at the suddenly happy expression Miroku attained. Sango suggested to her friend, "I can be the spinner."

Kagome pouted, "No Sango! You have to play too! Inuyasha can be spinner! Right, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha replied as he finished putting the boxes back in their respective places on the shelf, "Sure. I'm not too good at those kinds of games anyway." Inuyasha ripped the top off and pulled out the brightly colored spinner, then took his place back on the couch.

Kagome, Sango, and Miroku all stood on different sides of the Twister pad. "Left hand red." Sango irritably leaned over and placed her hand on the required spot. She didn't like this game, but at least the reds were right in front of her. That was one stroke of luck at least. As the game continued, Sango's luck became worse and worse. This game obviously didn't like her.

Her right hand was under her on the yellow, and her legs were in a halfway split position since her foot circles were spread far apart. Wha was worse was she was face to face with Miroku. Her body shook from the unbalance and her eyebrows knit together and the displeasure was clearly visible on her face. On the next turn, Kagome's foot slid out from under her, causing her to fall, so she was disqualified from the game. Then it was just Sango and Miroku. Inuyasha spun the black arrow and called out the space it landed on. "Left hand yellow." Sango felt slightly relieved as she slid her left hand from the red circles to a more stable area next to her right hand. But, Sango didn't consider the fact that Miroku had to also place his hand on the yellow.

Sango became very uneasy again as Miroku placed his left hand on the only available yellow spot that was right behind her own hands. Sango mentally kicked herself. Curses! She hadn't noticed that spot was there.

Sango growled when she noticed Miroku's eyes roamed over her. "Keep your head in the game!" Sango shouted this as she banged her forehead against Miroku's, causing them both to fall over. "Ow…" Sango groaned as she rubbed her sore forehead. Where had that come from? It wasn't like Sango to do things without thinking them through. She had just panicked, she concluded. She wasn't used to being in that close of quarters with a man, especially one she despised. The day seemed to be growing worse as it wore on. She had just humiliated and berated herself in front of her arch rival!

Miroku laughed as he rubbed his head. "Quite forceful, aren't you Sango?" Sango stood up and demanded, "Be quiet!" She stormed over to where Kagome stood and grabbed her by the wrist. She led Kagome out the door, and then slammed it behind her.

Kagome questioned her friend nervously, "are you okay, Sango?"

"I'm fine." Was the last thing Sango said until she arrived back at her own house. As Sango climbed out of the car, Kagome asked her, "I know you had sort of a rough time at the end there with Miroku, but give him a chance. Inuyasha said he really is a nice guy. Besides, it's not like he did better than you on that test to spite you or anything. Things will get better; you'll see." Sango brightened up a little and answered, "Thanks Kagome. I guess you're right." Kagome beamed. "Good! Well, I'll see you Monday!" With that, Kagome sped off down the road.

Sango dragged herself into the house. After eating dinner, she locked herself in her room and studied for a good three hours. After trying to go fro another hour, Sango collapsed at her desk. When she awoke, she was tucked into her bed and the phone was ringing. Sango rubbed her eyes and rolled over to look at the caller ID displayed on the phone. "Huh? I don't recognize that number." Se said to herself as she pressed the 'talk' button on the ringing phone.


	6. Ice Rink Risk

The Grade Race

Chapter 5

Sango lightly pressed the flashing talk button on her phone, and glanced at her clock as she brought the phone to her ear. '_10:17 a.m., huh?_' Sango shot up in bed when she heard what she thought to be was Miroku's voice say, "Sango-" But his voice disappeared as swiftly as it had come. In its place was some rattling noises and incoherent yelling. Sango breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Kagome's happy voice say, "Good morning Sango!" '_Okaaayy…_' Sango thought. '_What's up with me? Was I expecting him to call or something? To apologize for yesterday if anything, but… oh well._' "Good morning Kagome. What is it?" Sango replied after a moment of silence.

"Wellll…" Kagome began. "I just thought you've been working so hard in school lately, that maybe you and I should just have a girl's day out today at the new ice skating rink that just opened up. And besides, it's the middle of summer, so it would be nice and cool there, don't you think?" Sango sighed and answered Kagome's question with a question of her own. "Kagome… this isn't going to be like last year where you asked me to come with you to the mall, when you were really just trying to set me up with Takeda-san?" Kagome snorted at Sango's question. "Kuronosuke? Ugh, no! That was a total mistake. The two of you had absolutely no chemistry whatsoever! Do you honestly think I would do something that sneaky and underhanded now? You know me better than that, Sango!"

Sango narrowed her eyes at the phone and mumbled, "Do I?" Sango heard a pathetic whimper come from Kagome on the other line, and after juggling the pros and cons for a few minutes, Sango answered, "Okay, sounds like fun. When would be a good time for me to go over to your house?" Kagome pondered for a moment, and then replied, "How about… does 11:30 sound good?" Sango nodded, though she knew Kagome couldn't see it, so she added, "Sure that sounds fine to me. I'll see you then."

"Wait, Sango!" Kagome yelled in a rush before Sango could hang up. Sango brought the phone back to her ear. "What?" Kagome muttered something Sango couldn't make out for a moment, and then told Sango, "Wear something pretty, okay?"

Sango quirked her eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips, balancing the phone between her shoulder and her head. "And why is that, Kagome?" Kagome giggled then quickly cleared her throat and replied, "Just because. You don't dress up very often, do you?" Sango placed her hand back on the phone and replied with a shrug. "I guess not. Okay, bye now."

"Bye! See you later!" With that, Kagome hung up. Sango hung up as well, then went to her closet to select the proper attire for ice skating.

Sango pulled some clothes from her closet. Once changing, she sat down at her desk to study for her history test on Monday. At 11:20, she put her pencil down and neatly stacked her papers up together, then clipped them into her school binder. Sango was actually looking forward to going ice skating with her best friend, as she descended the stairs, humming a happy little tune.

Although, she wasn't expecting to see her seventh grader brother Kohaku blockading the front door. He stared intently at Sango and inquired, "Where are you going? Are you seeing a boy? Who is it? Mom and Dad are gonna be so angry when they find out! They-" Sango cupped her hand over her brother's mouth and explained, "I'm just going to the ice skating rink to hang out with Kagome for the day. And do you really think I'd allow a boy to mess up my chances of getting into Tokyo U?" Kohaku shook his head. "That would be stupid of you. And Mom and Dad may not know, but I know you wouldn't do something that silly." Sango gave Kohaku a big hug, then nudged him with her foot and opened the door. "So you see? Problem solved." Sango walked out onto the porch and Kohaku began, "But, sis, you have a te-!" Sango waved her hand and called out as she shut the door, "See you later, Kohaku! I love you!"

As Sango drove over to Kagome's house in her bright red neon, she inspected herself in the mirror. Sango wasn't sure if what she decided to wear really was the 'pretty; Kagome was talking about, but she hoped it would do well enough. She had picked out a navy blue top that flared out at the bottom and a blue jean knee-length skirt with a pink ribbon running up the side. She also wore a light weight cream colored jacket shawl thing that draped over her shoulders. For an extra touch, she applied some light pink eyeliner. After lightly swaying her head to the catchy tune on the radio for another six minutes, she edged into the driveway at Kagome's house.

Sango walked onto the porch and rang the doorbell. At first she was surprised when the door opened, and she couldn't see anyone at the door. But then she looked down to see Kagome's little brother, Souta, holding the door open, still in his blue pajamas. "Oh, Sango! Hi!" Souta looked behind Sango on both sides. "Um… would Kohaku be with you by any chance?" Sango laughed lightly and replied, "No, he's back at home. I just came by to pick up Kagome. Is she ready to go?" Souta had to think about this for a minute, and then he opened the door wider and replied, "Yeah, she's in her room. Come on in." As Sango slipped off her shoes before walking into the family room, she told Souta, "Kohaku's at the house all by himself right now, but I could maybe drop you off over there when Kagome and I are ready to leave. You two could hang out for the day if you want." Souta beamed at the older girl. "Would you, Sango! Awesome! I'm gonna go change!"

Sango smiled as the energetic little boy scrambled off into his room. Kohaku and Souta had been the best of friends for as long as Sango could remember. In fact, Souta and Kohaku were the reason that Sango and Kagome had met in the first place. So Sango was grateful to her little brother. She knocked lightly on Kagome's door after climbing up the short staircase. "Come in!" Sango heard Kagome call from inside the room. Sango opened the door just in time to see Kagome toss her cell phone aside. Sango looked skeptically at her best friend as she walked into the hallway. "I'm ready. Let's go! Oh!" Kagome looked Sango over for a minute, then smiled in approval. "Very pretty, Sango!" Sango blushed and replied, "Thank you." Then she added, "Oh, I asked Souta if he would like for me to drop him off at my house so he can play with Kohaku today. Do you think that would be okay with your parents?" Kagome shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Sango nodded. "Let's get going then!" As Kagome and Sango put placed their shoes back on at the door, Kagome called out, "Mom, Grandpa! I'm going to the ice rink now!" As Souta rushed from the room running the brush through his hair, then tossing it to the couch, Kagome added, "And Souta's going over to Kohaku's house! Kay?" Mrs. Higurashi answered, "That's fine! Just make sure Souta's home by nine!" Kagome nodded and quickly said as the three walked out the door, "Alright! I love you guys! Bye!"

Sango turned the keys in the ignition as Kagome slammed the door on the passenger side, and Souta bound into the backseat. As soon as the tires of Sango's car started to turn, Souta was yammering endlessly about his school, football, and other things little boys like to talk about. Shortly after, Sango pulled up to her house, and Souta jumped from the car and sprinted to the door. Kohaku answered the door before Souta even knocked, and the girls could hear the boys yelling from inside the car. Once the door shut, Kagome exhaled in exasperation. "Where do little boys get their energy?" Kagome asked to no one in particular. Sango smirked and answered as she steered back onto the road, "A little thing called sugar."

About halfway to the ice skating rink, Kagome's cell phone started ringing. Both girls jumped, but calmed down when Kagome reached into her purse and flipped open her cell phone. A shiver ran up Kagome's spine and a very amusing expression struck her face for a moment. Sango glanced at her friend and asked, "Something wrong?" Kagome shook her head and swiftly flipped her cell shut again. "No, it's nothing."

"Damn it, why won't Kagome answer her phone!" Inuyasha looked over to Miroku sitting nervously across from him. "What's your problem?" Miroku answered, "I don't know… doesn't this underhanded somehow?" Inuyasha answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Not really. Not for Kagome. She does this all the time. And since when are you nervous?" Miroku laughed and shook his head. "Well, whatever."

Sango shivered as she and Kagome stepped into the ice skating rink. In the middle of summer, she certainly wasn't used to the cool temperature. As Sango looked around, she found the ice skating rink had just been finished one week before. Some places inside even had that new paint smell. After renting their ice skates, the girls went straight to the rink. Kagome skated beside Sango at all times because while Kagome had taken two years of figure skating lessons, Sango had no experience on the ice whatsoever.

The girls chatted while they skated in circles around the rink. Though she fell down several times, Sango was enjoying herself immensely. As the day wore on, Kagome became anxious for some reason, and kept looking around, as if she was expecting something. Sango decided to ignore it and continued to skate.

When Kagome heaved a heavy sigh, Sango looked to her friend and asked, "Okay, what's the deal? All day you've been so-" Sango couldn't finish because she quickly found herself falling forward. "Ah! Sango!" Kagome called out. Sango shut her eyes and prepared to hit face first onto the cold hard ice. Though it was only ice, it still hurt. Especially since it was so cold, it burned if you fell on it. But instead of the freezing sore feeling that came from falling on the ice, Sango felt something warm wrap around her, and she soon realized, she wasn't hitting the ice!

Sango opened her eyes in puzzlement, and looked up at her rescuer. Sango jumped back in shock, causing her to slip and fall on her butt when she saw it was Miroku beaming down at her. "Wha, wha, wha, wha- what are **you** doing here!" Miroku quirked an eyebrow and answered, "What? Can't I just come skate without a reason?" Sango placed her hands on her hips and stated simply, "No. I don't tend to believe in coincidences, Houriki." Sango suddenly came to a conclusion, and then turned to her friend who was whistling innocently. "Kagome…" Kagome laughed and tried to make up an excuse, "Well, you see, this is…" Miroku stepped in between the two girls and explained, "I was going to ask you out myself, but Kagome thought you would never agree to coming here with me. Thus, she set this whole thing up. So don't be mad at her."

Sango sighed and slapped her forehead. "Why do these kinds of things always happen to me?" Then, she remembered something Miroku had said, and it caused her to redden immensely. '_Ask me out? As in a date! No way!_' She shook her head, and waveringly hoisted herself up off of the ice. "You know, I don't really care whose fault this was. I should be getting home anyway. Come on Kagome." At first, Kagome allowed Sango to lead her out of the rink, but then she saw Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. She tugged on Sango's arm in the opposite direction. "At, at least let him buy you lunch Sango. It is almost 3 now." Sango narrowed her eyes at Kagome and muttered, "What are you thinking, girl? There's no way-" Kagome stood on her tiptoes and whispered in Sango's ear, "If not for Miroku, do it for me. I want to spend some time with Inuyasha. Please?"

Sango sighed in defeat, and then the two girls made their way back to the boys still standing in the middle of the rink. When Sango told Miroku, "I'm open if you want to try to apologize for this." Kagome did a fancy twirl and giggled happily. Inuyasha gave her a strange look, and she simply smiled.

Sango began to skate off, and Miroku rushed after her. "I can get you lunch if you'd like." Sango inquired suspiciously, "What? Are you trying to buy forgiveness or something?" Miroku smiled innocently. "What would you do if I was?" Sango rolled her eyes and leaned against the railing out side the rink. "Spit it out."

Miroku took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry if you feel I'm trying to make things difficult for you, I'm really not. I want us to simply have a friendly competition. So… no hard feelings?" Sango absorbed his apology, then replied, "Friendly, huh? Alright. I'll forgive you for this whole incident, but, that doesn't mean you're completely off the hook. I will take my place as number one back." Miroku shrugged and smiled. "That's fine. As long as such a lovely lady as yourself can forgive this lowlife." Sango rolled her eyes, "Oh, please."


	7. Meaninful Phone Calls

_Yeah, I know this chapter iskinda short, but at least I finally updated! Aren't you guys happy? Or do you hate me for abandoning The Grade Race for so long? Either way, here's chapterseven! Sango starts to seeMiroku as more than just an obstacle and Inu and Kags are moving forward with their relationship! But what's going to happen when Sango neglects her studies! Read on! And please review cause I love all you guys who stick with me even though I'm awful at being consistent with my fanfics! And now I'm done rambling._

The Grade Race

Chapter 6

"So…" Sango began, glancing somewhat nervously at Miroku who had driven her home after their lunch together. "Um… thanks." She murmured. Miroku smiled genuinely at her. "No problem. It was enjoyable for me too." Sango blushed a little bit at that, but shook it off. No **way** could Miroku **ever **make her feel like that, no matter how nice he acted. "Thanks again." Sango said, a little more confidently that time as Miroku turned to go back to his car. Miroku smiled at her and waved, then walked down to his car. As Miroku got in the car and drove off, Sango ran her hand through her hair and sighed.

"This is turning out to be more troublesome than I thought it would be." Sango said to herself under her breath as she turned to the door and unlocked it. She dashed past her parents who were sitting on the couch reading and ran up the stairs into her room. She threw the door open and slammed it behind her. Once it was closed, she sighed loudly and slid down to the floor, her eyes closed. When she opened them, she saw Kohaku sitting on her bed, her phone in his hand, and his eyebrow raised. "Sis? Are you okay?"

Sango felt her face flush and she sputtered, "Ko… Kohaku!" Then she calmed down and her brow furrowed. "What are you doing in my room and on my phone?" Kohaku shrugged and hopped off her bed. "About ten minutes after Souta left, your phone started ringing. It was annoying me, so I came to see who was calling. I picked it up, and we had been talking for about five minutes when you showed looking like you just ran a marathon."

Sango sighed again, lightly this time and smiled at Kohaku. "Oh, I see." She stood and opened the door, motioning for Kohaku to leave. "If you'll excuse me now, I'd like to talk with my friend." Kohaku smiled handing her the phone and walking out. "Okay." Sango pulled her door shut, then flopped onto her bed, the phone up to her ear, suddenly filling giddy. "Hello? Kagome?" Kagome's happy voice exploded into Sango's ear. "Oh my god! Sango, hi! I'm so glad you're back! I **have** to talk to you!" Sango stared at the phone, and after a moment of silence, Kagome blurted out, giggling, "And then you can tell me about your date with Miroku!"

"It was not a date! He's my rival!" Sango screeched into the phone. Kagome laughed. "Alright, alright. But seriously, I have to talk to you. I'm so happy!" Sango smiled to herself. Kagome's perkiness was contagious sometimes. "Okay. Shoot. I'm listening." Sango replied, rolling onto her back and putting Kagome on speaker phone since she figured this would be long and she didn't want her ear to go numb.

Kagome smiled and began, "Well, after you left, me and Inuyasha just skated for a while. By the way, he told me that he thinks Miroku digs you. Isn't that funny?" Kagome laughed lightly, while Sango just crossed her eyes in annoyance. "Yes Kagome, it's hilarious. Now please continue your epic tale of romance for me." She said sarcastically. Now it was Kagome's turn to blush. "Shut up." She mumbled. "Anyways!" She began again, loudly. "When we were leaving and about to go to our separate cars, Inuyasha told me I look pretty today!" Sango smiled. "Aaaawww." She responded. "Then what happened?" Sango asked eagerly. Even if she was very organized and professional, Sango still had a **great** interest in her best friend's love life, like most girls who are best friends do.

"Well, then he started talking all funny like he wanted to say something but couldn't. You know like how Hojo does?"

"Yeah." Sango replied. Kagome squealed and continued, "But it was even cuter when Inuyasha did it because Inuyasha seems more like the big tough guy type, you know? And there he was stuttering and blushing! I loved it!" This made Sango giggle. "So anyways, he **finally** got out was he was going to say, and guess what he said?"

"What?" Sango asked, giddy with anticipation. "He asked me to go on a date with him tomorrow! I'm so happy!" Kagome and Sango squealed simultaneously and then broke into a fit of giggles.

Sango's parents suddenly opened the door to her room, staring at her like a parent would when they caught their kid with their hand in the cookie jar. "What's going on up here that's causing you to be so loud?" Sango's eyes grew huge and she suddenly was very embarrassed. "S…sorry…" She managed to finally say. She returned her attention to Kagome, her parents closing the door and said half-heartedly, "That's great Kagome. Well, I have to go now, so I'll see you later." Kagome's voice was confused and sounded somewhat hurt. "What? What's wrong Sango?" Sango shook her head. "It's just my parents again…" Kagome's voice now sounded more understanding and sympathetic. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry. Okay then, so I'll talk to you later then. And next time, I really **do **want to know how things went with Miroku."

Sango nodded, smiling and blushing lightly. "Okay. Bye Kagome."

"Bye." Sango hung up the phone and let it fall to the bed beside her, burying her head in her pillows. Now she was perturbed again. How things went with Miroku? Kagome made it sound like they had dated or something. They just went out for lunch once; it wasn't a big deal. Now that all was quiet, Sango had time to finally reflect on her lunch with Miroku. Of course there had been the obligatory small talk and Miroku had apologized again for the set-up thing. Also, Sango had actually found out a lot about Miroku.

For one thing, she learned that he had transferred to Tokyo all the way from Kyoto.And shefound out that he was living with a foster father who was an insufferable drunk he said, and Sango laughed at this. He also told her that most of his ancestors were monks and so he had a lot of old antiques in his house. When Sango had asked why Miroku was living with a foster father, Miroku had told her somewhat sadly that his mother died giving birth to him, and his father died in a car accident when he was four years old. Sango felt sorry for him, and she began to realize something else from talking to Miroku. Underneath his slightly perverse side, Miroku was actually very kind and funny. He was also extremely intelligent which Sango had never doubted considering he had even topped her. Sango regarded this with anger, but it disappeared after a few minutes.

Sango continued to lay on her bed thinking about Miroku in general for another hour or so, and then it was time for dinner. After she ate, she returned to her room, and Kagome called her for the third time that day. "Hello?" Sango said somewhat dazedly. "Sango? Are you okay?" Sango was suddenly awake again. "Yeah I'm fine. Hi Kagome. What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you for a favor." Kagome said sheepishly.

"What's that?" Sango asked. "Well, you know I'm going on a date with Inuyasha tomorrow, and he's picking me up at noon, so I was wondering if you could come over around ten and help me get ready." Sango grinned. "Of course I will Kagome. We have to make you all pretty for Inu or he won't love you anymore." She teased. Kagome laughed. She spent the next few hours chatting with Kagome, and then with Inuyasha too when Kagome managed to get them in a three way conversation.

At around ten o' clock, Inuyasha said, "Hey Sango?"

"Hmm?" Sango said, still laughing after something particularly funny Kagome had said to Inuyasha a minute or so ago. "Do you still hate Miroku?" Sango abruptly stopped laughing. "Do… do I still…?" Sango was having trouble stringing together a sentence, which struck her as odd when just that afternoon she would've screamed that she did. She coughed in embarrassment at her indecision and then she finally managed to reply, "I don't hate him, but we are not friends."

"Not according to him." Inuyasha muttered. "What was that?" Sango asked sharply. "Nothing! Nothing!" Inuyasha said quickly. After another hour, Sango uncharacteristically yawned loudly. "Well, I'm exhausted and I have to get up early tomorrow. Goodnight everybody." Inuyasha smirked. "You go to bed at eleven? Wow." Sango and Kagome said in unison, "Shut up."

"But seriously guys, I have to go. Bye." Inuyasha and Kagome said goodbye to her, and Sango hung up the phone.

Sango placed the phone in its charger and changed into her pajamas. She turned off the lights and crawled into bed, her study papers completely forgotten on her desk.


End file.
